


hollow knight ficlets

by GLaDOSthePeridorito



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: characters may be ooc, more characters will be added as I write more, no beta we die like men, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:53:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27277546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GLaDOSthePeridorito/pseuds/GLaDOSthePeridorito
Summary: a collection of hollow knight ficlets! i treat these as writing warm-ups and i decided that it would be fun to share them, so here they are! i hope you enjoy them!
Relationships: The Pale King/White Lady (Hollow Knight)
Kudos: 15





	1. ...father...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an interaction between the pale king and the pure vessel.

The Pale King spent all his time in his workshop when the sealing drew near. He would go stock-still, staring at his hands still stained with the faintest echo of void. His hands would never be clean again. He would do this for days on end, with the Pure Vessel standing outside the door.

_“Do not think.”_

_“Do not hope.”_

_“Do not speak.”_

_“Do not.”_

The Pure Vessel repeated this mantra again and again in their head, ironically violating their first point. Those words turned to static in their head, a background noise that they would retreat into, a point of comfort.

“Pure Vessel.” The Palen King’s voice, a whisper that is heard by everybody, caused the Pure Vessel to turn to their father.

“Come.” The Pale King went back into his workshop. The Pure Vessel followed with no hesitation.

_“Do not think.”_

“I did not want to do this. I was pushed to the limit. My Root protested this, she urged me to find another way. I did not listen. If only there was a different way to seal the Old Light…” The Pale King paused, then stared directly into the Pure Vessel’s eyes.

_“Do not hope.”_

“Pure Vessel. You are to answer these questions truthfully.”

_“Do not speak.”_

“Are you pure?”

_“Do not…”_

The Pure Vessel stood still for a few minutes, the Pale King scanning their face for any indication that they felt anything.

After a few seconds, the Pure Vessel shook their head. It was a short, jerking motion, but the message was clear.

The Pale King stared into their eyes, before turning around.

“Stay here.”

He sat at his desk, and sighed, his harsh light dimming ever so slightly.

“You have hidden this from me.”

It wasn’t a question, but the Pure Vessel nodded anyway. “Truthfully… I let myself hope this was the case.” The Pale King turned to look at his vessel, his creation, _his child_.

The Pure Vessel looked at their father, something akin to alarm on their blank face.

“I was always opposed to having children, but after this ordeal, seeing my children fall… I always wished I could go back, to stop myself from doing all I did.” The Pale King kept his back to the Pure Vessel while he poured his emotions out. Once he started to speak, he couldn’t stop. “I apologize. I truly do. I hold hope in my heart that you will forgive me. Please, freely make this choice. You are no longer bound to do exactly as I say.”

The Pure Vessel was still before they nodded. Void leaked from their eyes, and they slowly sunk to the ground. The Pale King stood away from them, unsure, before enveloping them in a hug.

The Pure Vessel froze.

After a few seconds, they hugged back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaa!! this is my first ever work on the archive, and so i'm excited to share it! i really hope you liked it, and if you did, i will be posting more as i finish them, so keep an eye out for that! have a great day!


	2. cursed are those who turn against the king.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an interaction between the pale king and xero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a note before reading! this follows canon, so xero dies in this one. i don't go into detail, but please be careful!

The first thing the Pale King noticed about the bug in red, was that he was very agitated.

He was direct in his wishes, not adding any fancy language to try and impress the Pale King. The Wyrm would have appreciated this, but he could sense a feeling of seething anger radiating from this bug, just barely being restrained.

“My King, that is why I requ-” The bug in front of him doubled over, writhing in pain.

The Pale King took a step back as the bug in front of him struggled to stand back up, looking up towards his king. His expression flashed from one of complete terror to one of anger.

He stood up, hands shaking, before summoning a barrage of nails, all pointed at the Pale King.

“You have done  _ nothing _ to stop the infection. You’re barely fit to be a king!”

The Pale King stayed calm.

“What makes you think you can do better than me, Xero?”

Xero’s eyes widened, his nails starting to drop.

He had never told the King his name.

“I… I would  _ do something _ ! All you do is sit on your throne and command your servants while all of your subjects  _ die _ ! You... You wanted this, didn't you? All our prayers have been left unanswered! You haven't done anything to help us!  _ You want us to die _ !” Xero’s nails flew towards the Pale King. 

With a small flick of the Pale King's hand, all of Xero's nails were deflected. They bounced uselessly off the Pale King's daggers, encircled protectively around the King himself.

“You are incorrect. I have been doing all in my power to try and stop this. You have not been paying attention.”

The Pale King’s glow was bright and harsh, and his daggers gave off the same glow.

“You are a traitor to the crown, ignorant of the power of your King.”

The Pale King stepped towards Xero and the bug shrunk backward, his body visibly shaking.

“Traitors have no place here. You shall perish by my hand. Hallownest will not miss you.”

“W-Wait, I-”

Xero never got to finish his sentence as the Pale King’s daggers impaled him.

He crumpled to the ground, orange starting to leak from his eyes and his wounds.

_ “Those who hope… are already doomed.” _

As his vision faded, a bright orange light took the place of total darkness.

The Pale King stormed out of the room, ordering his kingsmolds to move the traitor’s body out of the palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is pretty short, but the next one will (hopefully) be longer. tysm for reading!!! i hope you have a great day!!


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